Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty has been found not guilty of an 'obscenity' charge after an infamous kiss with Richard Gere.
The Celebrity Big Brother star, 46, was accused of failing to bat off the actor's advances after he kissed her on the cheek at an AIDS awareness gig in India in 2007.
The episode, which happened the same year the actress went on the Channel 4 reality show, caused outrage in Shilpa's native India.
Many citizens were apoplectic with rage and took to the streets burning effigies of the unsuspecting pair.
Shilpa was arrested at an airport in India over the controversial embrace and three court cases were filed against her.
However all charges have now been dropped after a judge ruled she had been the 'victim' of Mr Gere's affections - 15 years later.
Magistrate Ketki Chavan said on Monday at the Mumbai supreme court: 'It seems that the accused Shilpa Shetty is the victim of the alleged act.
"Not a single element of any of the alleged offences has been satisfied in the complaint."
After the verdict Shilpa shared a post about happiness on her Instagram.
She said: "Being happy is in your hands. Don’t wait for another person, or the weekend, or a special occasion to bring you joy and happiness.
"Do whatever it is that makes you happy. Your mind, body, heart, and soul will thank you in abundance."
Pretty Women star Richard, 72, had a simple explanation for the photos in which he kissed Shilpa on her hand before giving her multiple smooches on the cheek.
The actor claims he was trying to show that kissing was not dangerous and could not spread the AIDS virus.
However religious conservatives in India were incensed and took to the streets in protest, which resulted in riots.
Richard apologised for the incident, but Shilpa blamed the ugly scenes on the country's "lunatic fringe".
Charges against Richard were quickly dropped, however those against Shilpa took years to clear.
The actress shot to fame in the UK when she appeared on Big Brother in 2007.
However Shilpa's time on the show was marred with controversy after she found herself at the centre of a race row.
The late Jade Goody, Dannielle Lloyd and Jo O'Meara were all slammed for 'bullying' the star after being accused of making racists comments.
All three apologised after leaving the house, insisting they were not racist, with Jade donating all of her fee to charity.
